1. I thought the Hugos were tonight so last night I played video games and did not see the show, only the list of winners. I am loath to comment on what I did not see, or distract from what those who saw it have to say. What I can note is how I approached my own turn as Hugo MC. https://twitter.com/Predeceased/status/1289495753908350977

2. Honestly my top priority was to keep the ceremony short. I've been up for Hugos; it's nerve-wracking, so why string it out? Also, everyone wants to get to the celebrating and/or commiserating, and the afterparties. I saw it as my job to keep things moving at a clip.

3. Tightening things up was also a goal for the the Hugo ceremony and Worldcon folks -- they'd all been there before too -- and I'm happy to say we got ours down to two hours long, while still doing all the bits and extras and giving winners their moment in the spotlight.

4. The second thing I kept in mind was that it was not *my* night -- it was the night of the finalists and of the community, and my job was to recognize, celebrate and honor both of those groups. I was aware that my own bits and comments needed to acknowledge the whole field...

5. ...and to speak, if only briefly, to whence it had come and to where it was today. I wanted not to be *bland* as emcee, but I also mindful of "the failure mode of clever is asshole," and I was also mindful that what I did was interstitial to the actual purpose of the event.

6. A third thing is I wanted not to be a pain point -- as emcee I wanted to be seen as reliable and useful to the people putting on the show, a reassuring presence to nervous finalists, and a briskly entertaining traffic director to the audience...

7. Which meant I needed to have my *own* shit together, and to plan and be organized and to think about what I was doing and how it would come across. I want to emphasize that having my own shit together is *not* my strong suit. But here is a real thing:

8. At the Worldcon (or any other convention) the Toastmaster is the only Guest of Honor position that is also *an actual job.* It's work, and you take the gig knowing it's work (or you don't take it). I made the commitment and took up that obligation.

9. So I said yes to the gig, and was actively involved and did the work. Was I perfect? Oh, my, no -- I turned in my Hugo Ceremony script a day before the event, and I know where I made flubs and slips and errors. Perfect was not the goal -- not being a pain point for anyone was.

10. Ultimately I'm not the best judge of how I was as a Hugo emcee; it's for others to say. But I think these points -- keep it short; it's not about you; have your shit together and don't be pain point -- are useful to anyone who would take up the job.

11. Again, this is about how I did it, and not meant to be a comparison or criticism about how anyone else has done it. It's a tough gig in the best of circumstances. But I will say in all honesty that being a Hugo emcee was also one of my best experiences in SF/F fandom...

12. ... it's hard for me to explain how wonderful and what an honor it was to hand awards to friends and peers, to be someone who helps thousands celebrate a moment, and for just that moment to be the face of a community. I was glad to do it, and wouldn't have missed it.

/end